by Tamara White
Jonnie glances at me, while Mitch focuses on the road, leaving his brother to explain, “Well yes. Apparently before Luke, we did have that. However, maybe two years after he took over, he cancelled it. Said all wolves should be born alpha and that they didn’t need to train. Tim has always been anti Luke so I guess he thought if no one was going to teach us, he would. I’m glad he did because can you imagine what would happen if Luke had trained us? We would be monsters,” he says with a shudder.
Oh, I never really thought of it like that. Maybe it’s something Tim would be interested in? If Laura’s pregnant, I doubt they would want to be the Alpha Pair with the impending arrival of their baby. It’s something to think about I guess. I wonder when she’ll be due? Dad never really explained much of this to me?
“Hey guys, quick question. How long are we pregnant for?” I ask.
The car swerves to the right. I fly back into my seat from the force. Jonnie leans over grabbing the steering wheel, righting the car. Once we’re stable, Mitchell pulls off to the side of the highway, putting the brakes on. They both turn to stare at me as I pant from the adrenaline rushing through my veins. I lean back, my hands clutching the seat as my heart slows down.
Jonnie and Mitchell are both staring at me from the front. Mitchell’s the one to break the silence, “Are you pregnant?!”
“What?!” I blurt out shocked. “Oh, no, no, no. Guys, no. I’m not pregnant, I swear. I’ve only just had my first heat. I just wanted to know after finding out about all of this. God, do you really think I’d tell you like this?! Wow,” I breathe out, my heart hammering in my chest. They thought I was pregnant?! Jeez!
A banging on the car door has us all jumping out of our skins. “Yo guys, what happened?” Pete asks from the window.
Mitchell faces him, “Yeah, we’re alright. Dani just asked a question we weren’t prepared for.”
He looks at me, as if waiting for me to disagree. When I don’t, he addresses the boys, “Alright but Cam told me to tell you, if you can’t drive with her safely, then we’ll swap and you’ll be stuck with me.”
I hear Jonnie groan under his breath and hold back a smile. To be honest I’d hate to be stuck in the car for hours on end with Pete as my passenger. He can be extremely chatty under normal circumstances, but stuck in a car with only two people to badger, God, it’d be a bloodbath.
“Yeah, yeah, tell Cam that we are more than capable of looking after our mate,” Mitchell says, starting the car, and taking off up the highway again. I glance back to see Pete climbing into the other SUV, slamming the door behind himself as the car follows us.
Jonnie turns around, “So you wanted to know about female pregnancies. Well, after heat has finished, you’re either pregnant or you’re not. Most females’ scents will change within the first week but sometimes it can take anywhere from a week to a month. Unlike humans, our pregnancies are considerably shorter than theirs but longer than a natural wolf. The common time frame seems to be five and a half to six months long. Some women can go to six and a half months but we usually like to induce if they haven’t otherwise, the body finds it harder to heal due to the size of the baby,” he explains, his eyes lighting up as he speaks. The way he talks, I imagine he wants a child of his own one day, which makes me extremely nervous. How would he feel if I told him I didn’t want kids? How would the others? It’s a big thing to deny, especially with being the Alpha Pair line.
“Thank you. And I’m sorry I freaked you guys out back there. I should have specified why I wanted to know,” I admit sheepishly. I should have known they’d assume I’d slept with one of them without saying anything and got knocked up. Since my heat has started, I’m pretty sure they’d all think along the same lines.
I lean back in my seat and let all the information over the past twenty-four hours sink in. Closing my eyes, I listen to the guys murmuring in the front seat, not really paying much attention to what they’re saying. I’m still exhausted from what’s happened and I wish that I was tucked in bed asleep. Dozing softly, I’m startled when I hear a massive crash. I jolt up looking through the back window to see the SUV the rest of the guys are in, flipped on the road.
“Guys, stop!” I scream, panicked. “The guys’ car crashed!”
Mitchell slams on the brakes. Before the car reaches a stop, Jonnie is out the door and running for them as wolves appear from the trees on either side of the highway. Mitchell dives out, shifting in a matter of seconds. I stare frozen, wondering where they came from. I watch Jonnie rip a wolf from the remnants of the crash, the wolves trying to get to my mates in the upturned car. Seeing them attack my mate, my wolf urges me out the car to help.
A russet brown wolf attacks me, causing me to shift and rip his throat out. I throw his carcass away from me, watching as the other wolves take notice. Cam’s crawling out of a broken window while Jonnie protects him from attacking wolves. My wolf and I run around the other side of the car, doing the same, protecting the others so they can get out.
Five minutes and four dead wolves later, Jake and Rick are helping me to keep the other wolves away. Everyone has crawled out of the wreck except for Nate. Maybe I missed him and he’s fighting on the other side of the car but my wolf is panicking without all of them. I leave the others to chase back the last two remaining wolves and circle the car, trying to find him. Sniffing along the ground, I follow the scent of citrus until I reach the back of the car. I look into the back window and see him sprawled out, glass scattered around him. Blood is running down his temple, and spilled out across the car. The mix of scents tell me everyone got injured but Nate’s blood is the most prominent.
I shift back to human, Cam’s wolf running over to guard me from any attacks. Naked, I crawl in through the hole, grabbing Nate under the arms, dragging him out trying to avoid the bigger pieces of glass.
Once I’ve got him out, I try to cover the bigger wounds with my hands. Jonnie is at my side with a couple of rags. We work together to tie them off around most of his wounds except his stomach, which is too big to bandage. Using Jonnie’s jacket, I apply as much pressure as I can. “Nate, can you hear me, sweetie?” I ask, gently slapping the side of his face.
When he doesn’t move, I look up at Jonnie concerned. “He’s not responding and barely breathing. What do we do? Should I try to heal him? Do we move him?” I ramble nervously.
Jonnie nods hurriedly, “Yeah, try to heal him. He’s losing too much blood. We can still die from blood loss.”
Running my hands over his chest, I focus on the bond between us, pushing my energy to Nate. His chest rises and falls as the wound heals. A golden glow emanates from my hands, lighting up his body. It’s amazing!
My eyes are going blurry and I feel myself droop, “Uh Jonnie, catch me,” I slur. I fall forward, arms catching me before I can land on Nate’s freshly healed body.
“Shhh I got you babe,” Jonnie whispers, hauling me into his arms. I feel the others energy around me, just as I pass out.
Chapter 12
My head. The pain is unbearable. “Ugh, I really need to stop waking up like this,” I groan, sitting up. Nate’s sitting on the edge of the couch, glaring at me.
I take in my surroundings, looking at the furniture and people in the room. My mates are spread out on a massive beige L-shaped sofa. Jake and Rick are standing by the wall looking as menacing as ever. My collapse has had a negative effect on everyone.
Thank God the Elders aren’t here. I’m so not in the mood to be interrogated. “So, where are we?” I ask, faking a cheerful tone.
Nate growls, getting my attention, his blue eyes sparkling with anger. “Dani, what you did, was absolutely stupid! You used your energy to heal me while we were under attack! You could have died!”
Sighing, I grab his hand pulling him close, offering him comfort. He sinks into me, releasing a sigh. The others slowly leave the room, Jason nodding at me on the way out. Once the door shuts, I pull his head from my shoulder, making him look me in the eyes. “Nate, I
’m sorry I scared you babe. You were bleeding, and I was scared. I have the power to heal you so, why shouldn’t I?”
“Because you could have died!” he yells, jumping from the couch agitated. He paces back and forth running his hands through his hair, messing it up. “I can die, but you can’t,” he murmurs under his breath.
I suck in a gasp. He thinks it’s okay to die as long as I’m alive? “Nate, I couldn’t let you die. I love you. My life wouldn’t be worth living if you weren’t in it. Don’t you get that? Do none of you understand?!” I ask, my voice rising with my agitation. “I can’t live without any of you. You are all a part of my life now. No take backs.”
He pauses, staring at me, eyes wide. “You love me?” he asks, stunned.
“Well duh! I thought you already knew that?” Why is he acting as if I’ve never said it before? Surely I’ve told them all I love them? I thought I had.
“I suspected but you’ve only told Cam.” What? I’m sure I’ve said it to the others, haven’t I? “We all know you cared, we figured you’d say it when you were ready. I think a few of us were worried you wouldn’t feel the same so we just left it alone until you told us how you felt.”
Wow! I’m such an idiot! I thought they all understood how I felt, but I’ve left them all thinking I only loved Cam. God, what must they think of me? I cross the room, wrapping my arms around him, resting my head against his chest. He rests his cheek on my head, sighing deeply.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I honestly thought you knew,” I murmur, muffled against his chest. He strokes me soothingly up and down my back and we stand like this, enjoying the comfort until Cam comes in.
“Hey guys, sorry to break this up but the Elders are here. They’re asking to speak to all of us,” he says, holding the door open for us.
Sighing, I pull back and grab Nate’s hand ready to speak to them. On the plus side, at least Sonja isn’t around now. I take in the house as we walk, marvelling at the artwork on the walls. There has to be thousands of dollars’ worth of famous artwork. Unless it’s all fake then the person who painted them is extremely talented.
Beautiful gold banisters decorate the floor. The hallway wraps around showing the floor below. It’s a beautiful home.
Cam grabs my other hand as we descend the stairs, leading me into one of the rooms straight off the entry. The Elders, my mates, Jake, Rick and James are all gathered around talking amongst each other. There are a few other wolves in the room, ones I’ve not met before but I assume they’re part of Jonnie and Mitchell’s pack.
Mitchell catches my eye, winking my way as he talks to an older man. We approach the Elders and Cam clears his throat so they notice us. Sammy breaks apart from them, coming to us, a massive grin on his face. “I don’t know what you did, but the whole pack loves you. Apparently, those wolves have been attacking pack members from the Slade pack for weeks. You came here and finished your task in a matter of minutes. We’re very proud of you,” he grins, pulling me in for a hug.
“Huh? So wait, that’s it? I’m done already?” I ask, shocked. That seems too easy.
“Yep! Can you believe it? You, young lady, are becoming one of the most powerful queens we’ve come across. Since we’re no longer needed here, we decided to move onto the Parks pack as soon as we can. However, because we’ve been busy we are letting you have today to relax and meet your mates’ family and future pack that you will be ruling,” he beams before joining Lance in his discussion.
I watch the others, frozen in shock. That’s it? I really don’t have to do anything but relax? That’s amazing. Finally, some down time. A smile spreads on my face, joy taking over. “Guys, I can actually just rest and enjoy myself. Let’s go get some food,” I laugh, walking to a table piled high with various finger foods. I grab a napkin, putting on three sandwiches, stacked with roast beef. Nate and Cam follow me, Cam only grabbing one sandwich while Nate grabs five. I grin as we sit down on chairs digging in. We both need the energy.
I watch everyone gathered around us as we eat, glad that my mates seem relaxed. They need the downtime as much as I do. “Hey, where’s Mitchell’s mom?” I ask Nate, as he finishes the last sandwich.
“Meh, no idea. She’s always been flaky. Not really around unless she needs to be. I think it’s why they wanted to visit the pack. No offense to Rosie but she can be… flaky,” he shrugs.
Cam nods in agreement. “Yeah don’t get us wrong, she’s lovely and kind but Troy leaving really messed with her. As it is, she should have been at the facility by now,” he says absentmindedly, watching the crowd.
“Can I meet her?”
Nate and Cam exchange glances over my head before Cam walks off, pulling Jonnie and Mitchell away from the guys they’re talking to. Heads bent together, Cam tells them something as the brothers look over at me, fear in their eyes. Why would they be afraid of me meeting their mother? I thought this was what they wanted?
They nod to him, before saying something to the guy they were talking to. He nods at them sombrely, giving them each a manly hug. Jonnie reaches me first, “You want to meet Rosie?” I nod, confirming I want to meet her.
Mitchell just stares off to my side, barely meeting my eyes. Pete and Jason are over in amongst a bunch of people by the table of food and, as if sensing the mood over here, they glance our way. Seeing the others gathered around me when they look so sombre has them making their way to us.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asks, taking in Jonnie and Mitchell’s sad expressions.
Before the others can speak, I answer him, “I want to meet their mother. For some reason though, they’re acting as if the world has ended. I don’t get it guys. I thought you wanted me to meet her?” I ask, tilting my head confused. If they didn’t want me to meet her, why wouldn’t they just say something? I’m not going to force them to introduce her if they don’t want me to.
Mitchell sighs, lifting his head to meet my eyes. “Alright we’ll take you to meet her but we want to go alone. The others stay here,” he says.
“You sure?” Cam asks warily.
What is this woman like if they are nervous about me meeting her? I’m really starting to get anxious about this. As long as she’s nothing like Luke, I’m sure she’ll be lovely.
Jonnie offers a hand, helping me to my feet. “Guys we’re her mates too. We wouldn’t put her in danger. We’ll be with her the whole time, I promise.”
Jeez, that’s not a good sign. Maybe she is like Luke after all. I stay silent as Jonnie and Mitchell lead me through the party back out the doors. Expecting to be lead upstairs, I’m surprised when they walk me through the entryway and out the front door. We go around to the side of the house following a man-made path as it goes into the surrounding forest.
“Um, guys? Why are we going into the woods to meet your mother? This is kinda creepy.” I look around, anxious at how silent it is around me. The forest should be thriving, full of the sound from various animals, instead I’m met with ominous silence, as if even the woods themselves are scared. I don’t like this. “Guys?!” I stop them, pulling my hand from theirs, making them stop.
They both sigh, facing me defeated. “What’s going on?” I demand.
“I told you my mom was a bit weird since Dad left. What I didn’t tell you was, she’s on the verge of being rabid. She stays out here because being around the others makes her shift too often. Her wolf is losing it without it’s mate,” Mitchell explains. “I promise no harm will come to you but we need to get going.” He offers me his hand and I take it willingly, trusting them both to keep me safe. What terrifies me though is how much this is affecting them. Seeing their mother should be a joyous occasion, not one filled with wariness and fear.
We arrive at a small hut-like cabin, surrounded by a small iron fence. It’s like a home away from home. Beautiful garden beds are on the inside of the fence, some plants sprouting fruits and vegetables. It looks like a self-sustainable way to live. She would only need to hunt for meat which most wolve
s can do easily.
We continue on the path and Jonnie pushes open the gate, wincing as it creaks. The pale blue curtains in the window shift as an older woman peeks outside. I smile softly, trying my best not to appear intimidating. Mitchell takes the lead, knocking on the door three times. A minute passes with no answer. He knocks again, this time calling out, “Mom? It’s Mitch and Jonnie. We’ve brought someone to meet you.”
Light footsteps move through the house, as their mother comes to the door. When she opens it, embracing the guys, I’m a little taken aback by how similar her and Mitchell look. Same chocolate brown eyes, soft cheekbones and defined jaw line. Her hair is almost the same shade of black, slightly lighter and messed up, like she has just woken. Her clothes are dishevelled as if she’s been wearing them for days. This is their mother? I can’t believe she has been left out here in this condition. It’s cruel!
She notices me, and I swear her eyes flash amber, alerting my wolf. I focus on breathing, not wanting to use my wolf to make my mates’ mother back down unless I have to, but the way my wolf is feeling right now, has me on alert.
I step forward, offering her my neck in submission, “Hello, I’m Danielle of the Jackson pack. It’s an honor to meet the mother of my mates.” I wait for her acceptance, surprised when she turns away, ignoring me. My wolf growls in my mind, but I push her down.
“Who is this girl and why have you brought her here?” Rosie demands of Mitchell.
He fidgets, playing with his hands, Jonnie doing the same. “She’s our mate. We wanted you to meet her while we’re here.”
